Text Display - WeakAuras

Overview

Text displays show customizable text using format strings, custom fonts, and dynamic content from trigger states. They’re perfect for names, values, custom messages, and formatted information.

Text displays support dynamic placeholders that update automatically based on trigger state.

Basic Configuration

{
  regionType = "text",
  displayText = "%n",  -- Show trigger name
  font = "Friz Quadrata TT",
  fontSize = 16,
  color = {1, 1, 1, 1},
  justify = "LEFT",
  
  selfPoint = "BOTTOM",
  anchorPoint = "CENTER",
  xOffset = 0,
  yOffset = 0
}

Text Content

Format Placeholders

Common
Time
Unit
Custom

%n  -- Trigger name (spell/aura name)
%i  -- Icon path
%s  -- Stack count
%t  -- Total value
%c  -- Current value
%p  -- Progress (remaining time or value/total)

%p  -- Time remaining (formatted)
%duration  -- Full duration
%expirationTime  -- Expiration timestamp
%initialTime  -- When trigger activated
%refreshTime  -- When trigger refreshed

%u  -- Unit name
%GUID  -- Unit GUID
%unitName  -- Formatted unit name
%casterName  -- Who cast the spell/aura

%c  -- Custom value from customText function
-- Define customText function in trigger

Custom Text Function

-- Custom Text field in trigger
function()
  local health = UnitHealth("player")
  local maxHealth = UnitHealthMax("player")
  local percent = floor((health / maxHealth) * 100)
  return percent .. "%"
end

-- Display Text
displayText = "Health: %c"

Use customTextUpdate = "update" to refresh custom text every frame for dynamic values.

Font Configuration

Font Selection

{
  font = "Friz Quadrata TT",  -- Built-in font
  font = "Arial Narrow",      // LSM font
  fontSize = 16
}

Font Outline

{
  outline = "OUTLINE",        -- Black outline
  outline = "THICKOUTLINE",   // Thick outline
  outline = "None"            // No outline
}

None

Clean text, no border

Outline

Thin black outline

Thick Outline

Thick black outline

Shadow

{
  shadowColor = {0, 0, 0, 1},
  shadowXOffset = 1,
  shadowYOffset = -1
}

Text Alignment

{
  justify = "LEFT",    -- Left-aligned
  justify = "CENTER",  // Centered
  justify = "RIGHT"    // Right-aligned
}

Size and Wrapping

Automatic Width

{
  automaticWidth = "Auto"  -- Resize to fit text
}

Fixed Width

{
  automaticWidth = "Fixed",
  fixedWidth = 200,
  wordWrap = "WordWrap"  -- or "NoWrap"
}

Auto Width

Text region automatically resizes to fit content. Best for dynamic text lengths.

Fixed Width

Text wraps within fixed width. Use for tooltips or multi-line displays.

Word Wrap

Breaks text at word boundaries when using fixed width.

Color

Static Color

{
  color = {1, 1, 1, 1}  -- White (R, G, B, A)
}

Dynamic Color via Conditions

{
  conditions = {{
    check = {
      trigger = 1,
      variable = "value",
      op = "<",
      value = 20
    },
    changes = {{
      property = "color",
      value = {1, 0, 0, 1}  -- Red when low
    }}
  }}
}

Common Patterns

Simple Name Display

{
  regionType = "text",
  displayText = "%n",
  font = "Friz Quadrata TT",
  fontSize = 16,
  color = {1, 1, 1, 1},
  justify = "CENTER",
  automaticWidth = "Auto"
}

Stack Counter

{
  regionType = "text",
  displayText = "%s",  -- Stack count
  font = "Friz Quadrata TT",
  fontSize = 20,
  color = {1, 1, 1, 1},
  outline = "THICKOUTLINE",
  justify = "CENTER"
}

Timer Display

{
  regionType = "text",
  displayText = "%p",  -- Time remaining
  font = "Arial Narrow",
  fontSize = 14,
  color = {1, 1, 0, 1},  -- Yellow
  outline = "OUTLINE",
  justify = "CENTER",
  
  -- Color red when < 5 seconds
  conditions = {{
    check = {
      trigger = 1,
      variable = "expirationTime",
      op = "<",
      value = 5
    },
    changes = {{
      property = "color",
      value = {1, 0, 0, 1}
    }}
  }}
}

Health Percentage

-- Custom text function
function()
  local health = UnitHealth("player")
  local maxHealth = UnitHealthMax("player")
  return floor((health / maxHealth) * 100)
end

-- Display configuration
{
  regionType = "text",
  displayText = "%c%%",  -- Custom value with % sign
  font = "Friz Quadrata TT",
  fontSize = 18,
  color = {0, 1, 0, 1},
  customTextUpdate = "update"  // Update every frame
}

Multi-Line Info

{
  regionType = "text",
  displayText = "%n\\n%p\\nStacks: %s",
  font = "Friz Quadrata TT",
  fontSize = 12,
  color = {1, 1, 1, 1},
  outline = "OUTLINE",
  justify = "LEFT",
  automaticWidth = "Fixed",
  fixedWidth = 150,
  wordWrap = "WordWrap"
}

Unit Name Display

{
  regionType = "text",
  displayText = "%unitName",
  font = "Friz Quadrata TT",
  fontSize = 14,
  color = {1, 0.8, 0, 1},  -- Gold
  outline = "OUTLINE",
  justify = "CENTER",
  automaticWidth = "Auto"
}

Advanced Formatting

Number Formatting

Use custom text functions for advanced number formatting:

function()
  local value = 1234567
  
  -- Thousands separator
  local formatted = string.format("%d", value)
  formatted = formatted:reverse():gsub("(%d%d%d)", "%1,")
  formatted = formatted:reverse():gsub("^,", "")
  
  -- Short form (1.2M)
  if value >= 1000000 then
    return string.format("%.1fM", value / 1000000)
  elseif value >= 1000 then
    return string.format("%.1fK", value / 1000)
  end
  
  return tostring(value)
end

Time Formatting

function()
  local remaining = aura_env.state.expirationTime - GetTime()
  
  if remaining < 0 then
    return "Ready"
  elseif remaining < 60 then
    return string.format("%.0fs", remaining)
  elseif remaining < 3600 then
    return string.format("%.1fm", remaining / 60)
  else
    return string.format("%.1fh", remaining / 3600)
  end
end

Conditional Text

function()
  local state = aura_env.state
  
  if state.stacks and state.stacks > 1 then
    return string.format("%s (%d)", state.name, state.stacks)
  else
    return state.name or "Unknown"
  end
end

Text Formatters

WeakAuras provides format modifiers:

-- Time formatters
%p          -- Auto format (5s, 1.2m, etc)
%p:time     // Force time format
%p:number   // Force number

-- Custom format in display settings
displayText_format_p_time_format = "%.1f"  -- 1 decimal
displayText_format_p_time_dynamic = true   -- Auto units

Access format options in the Text display settings under “Text Format”.

Properties Reference

Modifiable via Conditions

Property	Type	Description
`color`	color	Text RGBA color
`fontSize`	number	Font size in pixels
`displayText`	string	Text content with placeholders

Performance

Custom Text Update

customTextUpdate = "event"   -- Update on trigger (efficient)
customTextUpdate = "update"  -- Update every frame (costly)

Use “event” unless you need real-time updates.

Text Complexity

Complex custom text functions run frequently. Keep them simple and cache values.

Size Recalculation

Automatic width recalculates on text change. Use fixed width for static layouts.

Troubleshooting

Placeholder Not Showing

Verify placeholder syntax (%n, %p, etc)
Check trigger provides the required state property
Ensure customText function returns a value
Verify customTextUpdate setting

Text Overlapping

Use fixed width with word wrap
Adjust fontSize
Check z-order and frame levels
Verify anchor points

Font Not Loading

Verify font name matches exactly
Check LSM font is installed
Try a built-in WoW font
Check for font path errors in chat

Best Practices

Icon Display

Combine text with icons

Custom Code

Advanced text formatting

Conditions

Dynamic text properties

Architecture

Triggers

Display Types

Customization

​Overview

​Basic Configuration

​Text Content

​Format Placeholders

​Custom Text Function

​Font Configuration

​Font Selection

​Font Outline

None

Outline

Thick Outline

​Shadow

​Text Alignment

​Size and Wrapping

​Automatic Width

​Fixed Width

​Color

​Static Color

​Dynamic Color via Conditions

​Common Patterns

​Simple Name Display

​Stack Counter

​Timer Display

​Health Percentage

​Multi-Line Info

​Unit Name Display

​Advanced Formatting

​Number Formatting

​Time Formatting

​Conditional Text

​Text Formatters

​Properties Reference

​Modifiable via Conditions

​Performance

​Troubleshooting

​Best Practices

​Related Topics

Icon Display

Custom Code

Conditions

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Basic Configuration

Text Content

Format Placeholders

Custom Text Function

Font Configuration

Font Selection

Font Outline

Shadow

Text Alignment

Size and Wrapping

Automatic Width

Fixed Width

Color

Static Color

Dynamic Color via Conditions

Common Patterns

Simple Name Display

Stack Counter

Timer Display

Health Percentage

Multi-Line Info

Unit Name Display

Advanced Formatting

Number Formatting

Time Formatting

Conditional Text

Text Formatters

Properties Reference

Modifiable via Conditions

Performance

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Related Topics